A Long, Long Time Ago
by Gonstika
Summary: Every generation has a legend. Every journey has a first step. Every saga has a beginning. In other words, Ozpin and Salem were not always mortal enemies. (Warning for OOC)
1. Chapter 1

"Hello there, I'm Ozpin!"

Her head snapped up from where it lay on her knees towards the direction of where the voice came from. Adjusting her glasses, her eyes laid upon a pair of legs before trailing up to see the smiling face of a young boy.

"H-Hello..." she meekly replied back, not used to talking with others unless it came to teachers, her family and the occasional bully on the playground.

Who'd want to talk to her anyway? She was probably the most plain looking girl of their class with her glasses and braids, which unfortunately due to a rare hereditary disease was already starting to turn white. The same disease was responsible for her skin tone starting to bleach itself out, forcing her to stray away activities that she used to like doing such as going to the beach and playing out in the sun for hours on end.

It'd be foolish to say others didn't pick up on this. Bullies tended to get to her first and taunt her endlessly about her disastrous features.

"Grimm Girl" they called her.

The boy was still there.

"What's your name?" he said, continuing to smile.

Her name? It wasn't something she was asked very often, mostly due to its old world conotations but her parents assured her that they named her with nothing but love in their hearts and minds. Something about it being magical.

After some deliberation, she gathered her courage.

"Salem."

The boy, Ozpin, was now kneeling in front of her.

"Salem. That's a pretty name."

Oh my...

If she happened to be blushing, it was sure to be easily showing on her skin.

"What are you doing over here all alone?" he asked.

"I... umm... I don't really have any... friends... a-and I can't play outside for very long because I'm s-sick..."

Ozpin's smiled dipped...

Before he grabbed her hands with his own.

 _They were warm... Like his smile_ she reflected.

"That's no good! Everyone should have a friend! I'll be yours if you'll be mine!"

Her eyes could only widen before she was pulled from where she was sitting and Ozpin dragged her along to a swing set in the distance.

* * *

 **Well, this will be interesting. This originally started out as a simple mini-fic as a reply to a post on r/RWBY and posted in my "Another One Bites The Dust" repository but it appears it got a couple people interested in more. Personally, I never planned really to go beyond this but some ideas are swimming around in my head, so we'll see where it goes.**

 **Don't be expecting anything grandiose or some sort of slow-burn romance though. That really isn't my forte.**


	2. Chapter 2

_5 Years Later..._

What was she even doing here?

This was her main thought and concern that insistently kept racing around in her head.

She was on one of the new airships that Mantle- Sorry, _Atlas_ had recently released to the public after many years in development. It was a real wonder to look down upon the city of Vale from a height such as this. Although currently restricted to Kingdoms, there were apparently design plans already in production for the general public.

"How are you holding up?"

She turned her gaze away from the window to the voice.

The man single-handedly responsible to getting them into this predicament.

She sighed. "Tell me again how you got me to agree with you to do this?".

He laid a hand upon her shoulder, an involuntary finch coursing through her body but he paid it no heed.

"You know I can't leave you alone to yourself. Being sad just doesn't fit you."

A humourless chuckle escaped her lips.

"But... I know I can't face this life alone... And I wouldn't want to go through it with anyone else."

A smile now graced her lips as they sat down in a pair of empty seats, her head resting against his shoulder.

 _He's so stupid sometimes... But he's really nice._

Her eyes closed.

Surviving in the Emerald Forest was not something she expected she would be doing as initiation for becoming a Huntress. Sure, she knew the details of what exactly the job entailed, she just didn't expect they'd be dropped in so soon.

She really expected some sort of written exam, because that's where she excelled in at least.

Pushing a branch away from her face, she happened upon what appeared to be an untouched reservoir surrounded by white roses. It was an incredible sight to her eyes as she had never seen anything remotely like it. Growing up in the city, the closest comparison would have to be her Mother's old rose garden and Uncle Lancaster's vegetable shed.

This obviously beat them all by a mile.

Avoiding a buzzing bumblebee hive attached to a tree next to her, she made her way to the water's edge. Kneeling down, she viewed her own reflection in the crystal waters. Although it had been 5 years since their first meeting, Salem wouldn't exactly say she had gotten any better at how she looked.

Still stuck with her red-rimmed glasses, her eyesight along with her general condition had been steadily growing worse as time went on. Although the vitriol she received when she was younger had faded, she knew she still turned gazes whenever she was out in public due to her unnatural appearance.

And yet, every time she was down... _He_ was there to comfort her when she needed it. He never abandoned her, even in those times of great emotion, the times when she didn't feel confident in confiding with her family. She felt like a burden to them. A burden who will get nowhere in life.

He was her beacon, that was what she had told him.

The sound of clopping heels brought her out of her daydream as a shadow formed over her entire body.

The Grimm leaned in close to her, its murky breath coming out in snorts as it sniffed up and down her form.

She was frozen.

She was going to die.

"WHOO-HOOO!"

Bullets impacted the side of the creature, forcing it to stumble back and reveal its true form to her.

An Alpha Nuckelavee.

"Get the fuck away from the lady, you bastard!" the same voice yelled, now belonging to a man wearing padded metallic armour and a helmet. His weapon a combination of a standard issue rifle with a chainsaw build around the front grip.

The Nuckelavee turned to face this new foe until a slew of arrows impacted the rider's back from behind.

The Grimm and her turned to face the same direction.

Up in the tree stood a silver-eyed woman with a crossbow, a new slew of arrows ready to be released.

"Get away from it!" she yelled down to her.

Nodding dumbly, she tried to stand up but her footing failed her, causing her to stumble before another pair of arms circled around her and pulled her away from the Grimm.

A head of grey hair with a face containing green eyes filled her vision.

"Are you alright? Deep breaths, deep breaths..."

She followed his instructions, calming herself down while he patted her back.

"Yo Ozpin! Mind giving us a hand here?"

Both of their sets of eyes turned to see the other two people currently engaged with the Nuckelavee, currently at a stalemate that would not be lasting for long.

He turned to face her as he held his hands in hers, the same as the day they met.

"I'll be your partner if you'll be mine?"

She nodded dumbly.

They both now stood as he readied his cane as she prepared her dust gloves.

If Fate was playing its hand in this, she might as well follow along with it

 **(Hours Later)**

"Ozpin Keeptime, Salem Fairchild, Clayton Carmine and Petallis Rose. You four have fought against impossible odds to get to where you are today. Not many can claim to fame defeating an Alpha Nuckelavee."

He held her hand in his.

"From this day forward, you four shall be officially known as Team OSCR (Oscar), led by Ozpin Keeptime."

A look of surprise flashed over his face as the crowd fell into applause but faded quickly as he turned to face her.

"We did it."

Tears brimmed in her eyes, nodding at his statement.

Two pairs of hands caught them both on either side, their new teammates joining in for a group hug as they all laughed heartily.

Maybe, just maybe life won't be as bad as she thought.


End file.
